What’s up — small round-leaved orchid

Small round-leaved orchids (Photos by Larry Halverson)

Small round-leaved orchids grow throughout the park and are in full bloom right now. Hundreds if not thousands are flowering along the Mount Wardle spring stream.

They look like little angels with their hoods and white wings. Typically these pale pink to white flowers are spotted with purple but on a very rare occasion you find one with irregular blotches of purple like the one above which was found near McLeod Meadow Campground. Botanists call this variation Amerorchis rotundifolia var. lineata.

For more information see E-Flora BC.